— Hurry up. We're going to be late! — Bernardo approaches, anxious.
— Hey… Rômulo is kind of cute, isn't he? — Marcela throws the words into the air.
In silence, Sarah lowers her face, trying to hide it.
— What are you talking about? — Bernardo questions her, confused.
Sarah stands up and looks at him with a slight smile on her face.
— Wait… Haha… You're in love! — He doesn't miss the opportunity to tease.
As she passes by him, Sarah gives a light punch on his arm, enough to make him let out an exaggerated cry of pain.
— Aaaa Bernardo… you boys are way too slow. — Marcela starts to follow Sarah while imagining herself with the boy she likes.
— I do get it! — After a second of silence, he steps ahead of the two and turns toward them, walking backward. — I've even already kissed a girl! — His eyes shine, and he even flashes a smile in front of them.
Marcela stops abruptly and stares at him.
Her eyes begin to water.
In silence, she bursts into a run, disappearing down the corridors.
— Huh… — Bernardo looks at Sarah, searching for answers.
— You really don't know anything! — She stares at him. — Now go after her! — With a more serious expression, she gives an ultimatum.
— I'm going! — Without questioning that "malignant" presence, he disappears from there as fast as possible.
After a few minutes walking slowly, Sarah arrives at the gym alone.
— Jeez, here comes the monster! She's on our team, don't even try! — Jorge comments, tall and with short hair.
Upon seeing her, everyone stops the game as Sarah approaches. All eyes turn to her.
— Oh no! Don't even try! She's on our side! Your team is already way too strong — Lucas, short and stocky, joins the argument.
— Sorry, Jorge, but today I'm not in the mood to play. I just came to let you know I'm going to play chess. — She replies calmly.
— Chess? Nerd stuff, come play ball! — Jorge insists. But she is already on her way.
— Leave HIM alone, Jorge! Let's just play by ourselves, it's better! — Gabi, a tall boy with long hair, provokes.
Sarah stops abruptly.
— GABI!!! WATCH OUT!!!! — Shouts echo among the boys.
When he turns to see what is happening, with no time to react, he finds himself falling to the ground without knowing what happened. Suddenly, a tremendous pain surges in his face. Bringing his hand to his nose, he realizes blood is running down. Furious, he starts looking around for the culprit. A search that doesn't take long to end.
There she is, fists clenched, forcing her way through two boys who try to hold her by the arms. Others ask for calm, without much success.
Gabi, when he meets Sarah's face and brown eyes, feels as if a predator were there, forcing fragile bars and about to break free. Ready to attack him and tear him apart. Her contracted pupils seem to see only one thing—her prey.
He freezes.
The most frightening thing of all is the silence she makes. Definitely, any second of slack the boys give her, he will be reached.
Gabi's expression quickly changes, his pupils dilated, eyebrows raised, his breathing shaky—everything in his body urges him to get away from there as fast as possible.
— What is going on here!? — Someone's voice echoes through the gym. Professor Marcos, with a thin beard and short hair, arrives at the scene.
Gabi runs toward the boys' bathroom.
Sarah does not take her eyes off him for a single second.
— Teacher, Sarah punched Gabi! — A voice emerges from among the boys.
— Sarah! Sarah! — Marcos shakes her by the shoulders, trying to calm her.
Little by little, her fists relax.
She looks at Marcos and comes back to herself.
Then she realizes she is surrounded by her classmates. Some observe from a distance.
— Look at me! Calm down! Are you okay? — The teacher tries to assess her condition, but she does not answer with words, only nods positively, her eyes still slightly filled with fury.
— Go splash some water on your face and calm down, okay. — He speaks calmly to her. — Jorge, walk Sarah to the sink, and then to the principal's office.
After giving the order, he starts heading toward the boys' bathroom. — Come on everyone, move along.
The others gradually disperse.
After a few minutes, Sarah and Jorge are already sitting on the bench in front of the principal's office.
The door opens.
Márcia, the principal, tall, black-haired and wearing glasses, stops when she sees her.
— Again?
Sarah lowers her head.
— What happened this time? — She asks again.
Sarah does not answer her.
— They messed with her again, principal. — Jorge tries to respond.
— Are you involved too? — The principal's firm gaze turns to him.
— I'm just accompanying her. Professor Marcos told me to.
— Hmm… Good. You may go back to class, and ask him to come here.
He nods affirmatively.
— Bye, Sarah. — In moments, Jorge disappears from the place.
Sarah watches him with a vacant look.
— Come, tell me what happened. — Márcia, now with a calmer voice, invites her inside while opening the door.
Sarah stands up and heads into the room. As she passes through the doorway, the principal places her hand on Sarah's back, giving a gentle push, leaving the door half open so that Marcos can see they are there.
After wandering through the school, Bernardo finds Marcela crying in a corner. And after a few minutes working up the courage, he approaches her. At first, she hesitates to listen to him. But little by little, he manages to calm her down. After that, he sits beside her.
Looking at the floor, he begins to open up about how childish it was to say those words and not take her feelings into consideration.
He admits that he already knew, and that he feels the same way for her. He just never had the courage to face her and say what he felt.
At that moment, Marcela smiles, her cheeks still flushed.
And without warning, she lies down, resting her head on his legs.
Silence echoes.
Only the sound of the wind shaking and knocking down a few leaves around them can be heard.
And looking directly into his eyes, she takes a deep breath.
— I love you!